Below Zero
my frost philosophy will put no curse on me
The female traveled the darkness with an ease usually reserved for daylight; but when you shine like a lantern of your own making - any time of day could be daylight. So was the way her fur was created, the chemical structure certain areas of fur grew with, so upon the darkening of her surroundings - the more those chemicals reacted and moved, creating enough energy that soon it became visible as those particles danced and pinged together on a molecular level, an atomic level. An evolution advancement brought from a place where a world glowed fully with neon vibrance beneath the dark of night. An alien aspect she'd never took much stalk in, until she came to Novus and learned that perhaps those origin stories the elders spoke of weren't stories at all. She'd yet to come to terms fully with her alien-ancestry, but she no longer shied from it either. It explained too much. The way her fur could glow in the absence of light. The fact she had two sets of eyes (not too many had that, certainly not those of this planet). The way she was a creature of both land and sea, and the oddities of the vapors that steamed from her dorsal fin, a hot water vapor, or at other times as cold as the icy waters she once called home. Too many oddities to truly be a creature of Earth, but not yet ready to admit her people came from the skies.
But that is neither here nor there, now she wasn't just in the waters of earth, she was learning her way through the lands, the islands of this planet. Tonight in particular, she was exploring more of her Dusk Court home, even if she wasn't familiar of most of the others who shared the territory with her. She really needed to work on her ability to be social, didn't she? The thought caused the aquatic mare to shake her head lightly, wrinkling her muzzle at the thought, her gills flaring faintly - a subconscious sign of discomfort. She used to be social, until her previous herd, her people, had ripped out her heart, and sentenced her sister to death upon that arctic iceberg. It had been the final straw that led the belle of the oceans from the comforting depths, had drawn her attentions to the surface world, of grass and trees; and other equine.
Still, despite removing herself from the waters, despite coming to land and finding a herd, despite acceptance into the herd where she could regal others with tales of the waters, of the stars; she kept to herself. How many truly knew of the silent mare who'd come from the waters, how many knew she lived with in the realm with them. How many even knew she walked the soils of Terrastella. She doubted the number was more than a handful. So why couldn't she change that fact. For how long would she live in the shadow, too shy to come forth and introduce herself. Too awkward to give cute greetings, and make friends . . . Too foreign to feel at home on the dry land.
She didn't have much longer to ponder such sad thoughts before the sounds of . . . something approaching touched her finned auds. She paused, head cocking to the side, as the two sets of eyes suddenly split into separate directions, one set focusing on the area before her, the smaller, farther back set glancing around her at the trees and vegetation, and water at her sides and behind her. The slooshing was familiar - she'd been making the sound herself earlier, someone was walking the swamp, this late at night . . . in a moonless night. Where they crazy?! Instantly worry sprung in the heart of the aquatic equine - not for herself - but for the one that was traveling. She had light to move by, perhaps they would too? Surely none would risk the predators of the swamp on a night they'd not be visible?
Glowing eyes peered through the darkness, and suddenly she caught a shadow moving just beyond the trees, and the mare stood still, watching - waiting. Her tail rested atop the edge of the water, the glow reflecting over the water's surface, reflecting it back into the air. Around her, the trees caught the cyan glow that came from her form, and as the other being came into the area she was in, that same glow was reflected off of his dark form. Instantly her dominant pair of eyes turned towards him, even as the second set continued to sweep the area, as if to see if he had friends approaching, as well as to keep aware of the swamp that she had only just realized could be dangerous when she'd worried over hearing a stranger making a dark way through the swamp.
Perhaps if Bel was more aware of the members of the herd she belonged to, she'd recognize the form of the individual in front of her. As it was, the scent of herd, her herd; was the only thing that kept her calm in the face of a stranger. Hopefully a friendly stranger if they came from the same court. Herd, Court, still such odd terms to the aquatic creature, but at least she'd stopped referring to the group of equine as the Dusk Pod, even in her own mind. Still couldn't use the term King, Triton was too ingrained. As the dark male continued to move closer, she watched his eyes sweep over her features, and she wondered if the slight scaling along her muzzle, just peaking out from beneath the short fur of her facade would be noted as easily as the webbing and fins - or the two eyes. She wondered what he'd think. Would he ask her if she was of the Kelpie Breed? When he did speak, however, it was not what she'd expected. In fact, she couldn't fail to hide the surprise that flirted with her features. The edge of the swamp. She glanced at her form, the glow reflecting from it, and she slowly dipped her head in understanding to the mistake, "Oh, uhm, there's really, uh, no need to apologize. I'm sure . . . you, uhm . . . weren't expecting . . ." Her words fumbled, fell from her mouth before halting in uncertainty. Expecting what, a glowing lighthouse of a horse? "Well, expecting a glowing horse." She stated, her words soft - light on land. They never sounded quite right to her, when not in the water. The odd drawn out vowels and sounds fit better to the oceans, where the sounds would catch on the water and carry, like a song similar to dolphins and whales. Above the water, that sound remained, light and song-like, just as one might hear the voice of dolphins or whales singing during the night - but to her, it wasn't the same as it was in water, where the soft song could be carried into a symphony of the deep. Perhaps greater proof that she was more aquatic than mammalian.
Like the gills, fins, and taste for oysters and clams weren't proof enough. Her eyes dropped awkward, suddenly realizing that she'd fallen quiet after dismissing his apology. Oh starfish, what if he thought she was dismissing him. Instantly that primary pair of eyes jumped up again - wide and startled, Uhm, I'm sorry for the confusion - the, uh, glow. I'd turn it off if I could, but I don't think any of my pod have ever discovered if that was possible - and not for the lack of trying, either! It used to be a game when I was just a pup - see who could keep the glow off the longest when night fell . . . uh, not that you asked or anything . . . I just mean . . . uh . . . sorry." Shut up you rambling damselfish! Good heavens, she thought when she'd come across Jay in the reef by the sea, she'd managed to break that rambling habit. Why couldn't she be as sure of herself above water as she was below?! Instead, her mouth comes unhinged and she can't stop the word vomit. The words could be as slippery as an eel - and the embarrassment after as painful as the eel's electricity too! "SI, uh, I can try and point you in the direction of the . . . the start, or, er, end of the swamp? I think? I wasn't paying too much attention to what way I was walking, but I think I could maybe remember where I started from. Uhm, I think it was . . . that way?" She nodded in one direction before pausing and glancing about 15 degrees to the south, "Or maybe it was that way?" Another pause, and this time her gaze moved another 15 degrees, her expression starting to fall, "Or was it . . . ."
She let the words falter again, turning a sheepish, shy smile towards the stallion, apologetically as her head ducked faintly, tucking slightly, "Maybe I can't be as useful as I had ho-" Her words were caught in her throat at the sudden motion of a few things. First was the disturbance in the water, eyes picking out the ridging of a crocodile . . no alligator . . . no . . . was this swamp fresh or salt water - she hadn't bothered to really pay attention. However, that wasn't priority of her notice. Instead her gaze jumped from creature's lunge to another creature - equine's arrival and further stumble into the water away from those snapping jaws. The female felt her hooves dance faintly, kicking up dirt and muck from the bottom of the swamp, causing the water's to shimmer and dance around her limbs as she watched the predator disperse, barely giving she and the darker stallion a second glance.
Her gaze turned back to the gold-touched stallion who'd stumbled into the waters of swamp, and in a moment of uncertainness the vapors protruding from her spine plunged into arctic temperatures in a sudden need for familiarity of home to relax the mare. Just as soon as she realized the temperature of the vapors had dropped, she'd quickly readjusted them to just a touch cooler than the humid air of the swamp, least anyone be freezed out from being near her. She glanced at the brighter stallion, her expression concerned, "Are you alright?" Her vocals carried oddly on land, she realized, the sound not travelling like she was used to when speaking over a distance - even a short one as the one currently present, and she almost wanted to dive off the cliffs into the ocean beyond just to embrace the way she aught to sound, remind herself that this land-based voice wasn't fully who she was. A mare of two worlds, she just needed to learn how to live above the water too.
The predator thankfully hadn't stayed to cause the already awkward mare to feel any additional negative emotions, and instead she tried to bury those feelings to avoid another case of wild word vomit from spewing forward from her muzzle, as she watched the golden stallion attempt to get his barrings, "You weren't bit or anything . . . oh, of course not; if you had, it wouldn't have left. Predators don't abandon a prey-fish after first bite." She muttered, and was quickly trying to cut herself off from saying anything else least it never stop, "Although, that doesn't mean you couldn't have twisted a hoof in the water - it's always difficult to see what is beneath the surface, or at least it is in this place. Everything's so mucky and gross, and . . . I'm rambling again." It was almost with great difficulty that she shut herself up again, half afraid to even apologize to either stallion about the rambling, least it start up again. Oh starfish, when would this land thing become easier? Ever time she got a little better at it, she'd miss flip her tail and go in a downward spin in an unforgiving current.
Thoughts
Speech
@'atlas' @Rhone
Notes: Forgive the precious little fishy, she gets so shy and awkward and then can't stop rambling, this was fairly contained thankfully.
But that is neither here nor there, now she wasn't just in the waters of earth, she was learning her way through the lands, the islands of this planet. Tonight in particular, she was exploring more of her Dusk Court home, even if she wasn't familiar of most of the others who shared the territory with her. She really needed to work on her ability to be social, didn't she? The thought caused the aquatic mare to shake her head lightly, wrinkling her muzzle at the thought, her gills flaring faintly - a subconscious sign of discomfort. She used to be social, until her previous herd, her people, had ripped out her heart, and sentenced her sister to death upon that arctic iceberg. It had been the final straw that led the belle of the oceans from the comforting depths, had drawn her attentions to the surface world, of grass and trees; and other equine.
Still, despite removing herself from the waters, despite coming to land and finding a herd, despite acceptance into the herd where she could regal others with tales of the waters, of the stars; she kept to herself. How many truly knew of the silent mare who'd come from the waters, how many knew she lived with in the realm with them. How many even knew she walked the soils of Terrastella. She doubted the number was more than a handful. So why couldn't she change that fact. For how long would she live in the shadow, too shy to come forth and introduce herself. Too awkward to give cute greetings, and make friends . . . Too foreign to feel at home on the dry land.
She didn't have much longer to ponder such sad thoughts before the sounds of . . . something approaching touched her finned auds. She paused, head cocking to the side, as the two sets of eyes suddenly split into separate directions, one set focusing on the area before her, the smaller, farther back set glancing around her at the trees and vegetation, and water at her sides and behind her. The slooshing was familiar - she'd been making the sound herself earlier, someone was walking the swamp, this late at night . . . in a moonless night. Where they crazy?! Instantly worry sprung in the heart of the aquatic equine - not for herself - but for the one that was traveling. She had light to move by, perhaps they would too? Surely none would risk the predators of the swamp on a night they'd not be visible?
Glowing eyes peered through the darkness, and suddenly she caught a shadow moving just beyond the trees, and the mare stood still, watching - waiting. Her tail rested atop the edge of the water, the glow reflecting over the water's surface, reflecting it back into the air. Around her, the trees caught the cyan glow that came from her form, and as the other being came into the area she was in, that same glow was reflected off of his dark form. Instantly her dominant pair of eyes turned towards him, even as the second set continued to sweep the area, as if to see if he had friends approaching, as well as to keep aware of the swamp that she had only just realized could be dangerous when she'd worried over hearing a stranger making a dark way through the swamp.
Perhaps if Bel was more aware of the members of the herd she belonged to, she'd recognize the form of the individual in front of her. As it was, the scent of herd, her herd; was the only thing that kept her calm in the face of a stranger. Hopefully a friendly stranger if they came from the same court. Herd, Court, still such odd terms to the aquatic creature, but at least she'd stopped referring to the group of equine as the Dusk Pod, even in her own mind. Still couldn't use the term King, Triton was too ingrained. As the dark male continued to move closer, she watched his eyes sweep over her features, and she wondered if the slight scaling along her muzzle, just peaking out from beneath the short fur of her facade would be noted as easily as the webbing and fins - or the two eyes. She wondered what he'd think. Would he ask her if she was of the Kelpie Breed? When he did speak, however, it was not what she'd expected. In fact, she couldn't fail to hide the surprise that flirted with her features. The edge of the swamp. She glanced at her form, the glow reflecting from it, and she slowly dipped her head in understanding to the mistake, "Oh, uhm, there's really, uh, no need to apologize. I'm sure . . . you, uhm . . . weren't expecting . . ." Her words fumbled, fell from her mouth before halting in uncertainty. Expecting what, a glowing lighthouse of a horse? "Well, expecting a glowing horse." She stated, her words soft - light on land. They never sounded quite right to her, when not in the water. The odd drawn out vowels and sounds fit better to the oceans, where the sounds would catch on the water and carry, like a song similar to dolphins and whales. Above the water, that sound remained, light and song-like, just as one might hear the voice of dolphins or whales singing during the night - but to her, it wasn't the same as it was in water, where the soft song could be carried into a symphony of the deep. Perhaps greater proof that she was more aquatic than mammalian.
Like the gills, fins, and taste for oysters and clams weren't proof enough. Her eyes dropped awkward, suddenly realizing that she'd fallen quiet after dismissing his apology. Oh starfish, what if he thought she was dismissing him. Instantly that primary pair of eyes jumped up again - wide and startled, Uhm, I'm sorry for the confusion - the, uh, glow. I'd turn it off if I could, but I don't think any of my pod have ever discovered if that was possible - and not for the lack of trying, either! It used to be a game when I was just a pup - see who could keep the glow off the longest when night fell . . . uh, not that you asked or anything . . . I just mean . . . uh . . . sorry." Shut up you rambling damselfish! Good heavens, she thought when she'd come across Jay in the reef by the sea, she'd managed to break that rambling habit. Why couldn't she be as sure of herself above water as she was below?! Instead, her mouth comes unhinged and she can't stop the word vomit. The words could be as slippery as an eel - and the embarrassment after as painful as the eel's electricity too! "SI, uh, I can try and point you in the direction of the . . . the start, or, er, end of the swamp? I think? I wasn't paying too much attention to what way I was walking, but I think I could maybe remember where I started from. Uhm, I think it was . . . that way?" She nodded in one direction before pausing and glancing about 15 degrees to the south, "Or maybe it was that way?" Another pause, and this time her gaze moved another 15 degrees, her expression starting to fall, "Or was it . . . ."
She let the words falter again, turning a sheepish, shy smile towards the stallion, apologetically as her head ducked faintly, tucking slightly, "Maybe I can't be as useful as I had ho-" Her words were caught in her throat at the sudden motion of a few things. First was the disturbance in the water, eyes picking out the ridging of a crocodile . . no alligator . . . no . . . was this swamp fresh or salt water - she hadn't bothered to really pay attention. However, that wasn't priority of her notice. Instead her gaze jumped from creature's lunge to another creature - equine's arrival and further stumble into the water away from those snapping jaws. The female felt her hooves dance faintly, kicking up dirt and muck from the bottom of the swamp, causing the water's to shimmer and dance around her limbs as she watched the predator disperse, barely giving she and the darker stallion a second glance.
Her gaze turned back to the gold-touched stallion who'd stumbled into the waters of swamp, and in a moment of uncertainness the vapors protruding from her spine plunged into arctic temperatures in a sudden need for familiarity of home to relax the mare. Just as soon as she realized the temperature of the vapors had dropped, she'd quickly readjusted them to just a touch cooler than the humid air of the swamp, least anyone be freezed out from being near her. She glanced at the brighter stallion, her expression concerned, "Are you alright?" Her vocals carried oddly on land, she realized, the sound not travelling like she was used to when speaking over a distance - even a short one as the one currently present, and she almost wanted to dive off the cliffs into the ocean beyond just to embrace the way she aught to sound, remind herself that this land-based voice wasn't fully who she was. A mare of two worlds, she just needed to learn how to live above the water too.
The predator thankfully hadn't stayed to cause the already awkward mare to feel any additional negative emotions, and instead she tried to bury those feelings to avoid another case of wild word vomit from spewing forward from her muzzle, as she watched the golden stallion attempt to get his barrings, "You weren't bit or anything . . . oh, of course not; if you had, it wouldn't have left. Predators don't abandon a prey-fish after first bite." She muttered, and was quickly trying to cut herself off from saying anything else least it never stop, "Although, that doesn't mean you couldn't have twisted a hoof in the water - it's always difficult to see what is beneath the surface, or at least it is in this place. Everything's so mucky and gross, and . . . I'm rambling again." It was almost with great difficulty that she shut herself up again, half afraid to even apologize to either stallion about the rambling, least it start up again. Oh starfish, when would this land thing become easier? Ever time she got a little better at it, she'd miss flip her tail and go in a downward spin in an unforgiving current.
Thoughts
Speech
@'atlas' @
Notes: Forgive the precious little fishy, she gets so shy and awkward and then can't stop rambling, this was fairly contained thankfully.
i feel no cold, i feel no fear inside my mind
Now I'm full of energy
![[Image: i-jTNwWx8.png]](https://photos.smugmug.com/BelowZeroNovus/n-X9d9fZ/i-jTNwWx8/1/e09fb6c3/O/i-jTNwWx8.png)
